Eliminating Spillage and Restoring Load Zone Integrity at a Cement Plant

Challenges
The core issue stemmed from a misaligned step chute that was off-center, loading the belt, and directing the product into the right-side skirt wall. The continuous impact wore through the wall, creating excessive spillage and requiring frequent patching. The load zone was buried in years of hardened cement buildup, making inspections and maintenance nearly impossible. Additionally, the existing skirt walls and clamps were so corroded and seized that the skirting could no longer be adjusted.

Solution
ASGCO’s engineers began the project by conducting a thorough on-site evaluation of the chute and load zone. They then point cloud scanned the system and ran 3DEM simulations to identify the root of the problem. The evaluation revealed that the step chute was misdirecting the product, prompting a full redesign of the chute and load zone. The failing step chute was removed and replaced with a custom-engineered chute designed to properly redirect material to the center of the belt. The service team also cleared out the hardened cement buildup, allowing for safe maintenance access. The deteriorated skirt walls were replaced with a full enclosed ASGCO skirting system, including adjustable AR400 skirtboard liners, MDX skirt clamps, and ORG skirting. The ASGCO system provides an excellent seal, while promoting easy skirting and liner maintenance adjustments.

Results
A new center-loading chute corrected the material trajectory, eliminating side-wall impact and belt mis-tracking. Spillage was completely resolved, and the load zone now operates cleanly and efficiently. With the MDX skirt clamps and slotted AR400 liners, maintenance is no longer a time-consuming challenge, but a simple, streamlined process. The reliability and cleanliness of the system have been restored, and overall maintenance downtime has been significantly reduced.